


A Pale Moon Rises

by AloeHolland



Series: You'll Be Here In My Arms, Just Sleeping [3]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Body Worship, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Marriage, Past Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:13:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28462929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AloeHolland/pseuds/AloeHolland
Summary: “I just want to be with you,” Erestor whispered against his lips, and though melancholy tainted his voice, warmth bloomed bright in Glorfindel’s chest at the words. “How I wish that we could be the same elves we once were.”“Ahh, but we are not, my dear,” Glorfindel hummed, and smiled, tucking a strand of soft hair behind Erestor’s ear. “And I love you all the more for it.”Or; Glorfindel and Erestor's second marriage.
Relationships: Erestor/Glorfindel (Tolkien)
Series: You'll Be Here In My Arms, Just Sleeping [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817662
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sequel to [White Shores Are Calling](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18253139) and [A Light On The Water](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25097257) so if you haven't read either, I highly recommend reading those first! You don't have to, of course, but things may be a little confusing. 
> 
> Title of from Annie Lennox's Into The West

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING!!!  
> Though this story is mainly fluff and smut, there is a brief but slightly graphic description of self-harm through the eyes of an observer in this chapter. It is also mentioned in passing in Chapter 2 (very subtly) but is not necessary to the plot, so please please please take care of yourself and skip if you need to <3  
> If skipping, stop reading at "Six and a half moon cycles after his fall" and resume at "Come now, you can't be tiring already."

It was quiet, more often than not, in the Halls of Mandos. Glorfindel found it unsettling at first, having grown to love the bustling cities, crashing waves, and twittering birds of Endórë. In Gondolin, the earth and its creatures were alive and vivacious, and not till he had died did Glorfindel come to realize how he had taken such beauties for granted, as in the Halls of the Dead, there was no wind nor waves nor wildlife.

There was only the echoing of footsteps and the quiet call of the void. 

Being so suddenly plunged into the silence of death had been more unsettling than Glorfindel could have ever imagined. 

Still, as time ran its course, Glorfindel grew used to the quiet. It became comforting, even, a reminder each day that he would not be returning to Aman, but to Endórë, that every day he spent in silent solitude was one day closer to his return to Eastern Shores, to the sound of crashing waves and billowing winds and the soft, sweet laughter of his beloved. 

The quiet became his comfort, too, because only when death stained the earth did the Halls of Mandos ring with sound.

* * *

When Gondolin was sacked, the Halls of Mandos were filled with a clamor so loud Glorfindel feared his ears would bleed. He’d stumbled into the halls reborn into a body that was pristine and untouched, yet riddled with phantom aches and a horror so potent his heart cried and his hands trembled. He could remember flashes, brief and overwhelming - The wind rushing as he fell, the heat searing his flesh as the Balrog’s talons wrapped him in its deadly hold, the acrid, dizzying smell of hair burning, the earth-shattering pain of his _feä_ ripping in two - pain more caustic and clawing than anything he’d ever felt, even death - and the agonizing scream of his beloved up above. 

In the middle of the Halls of Death, Glorfindel had fallen to his knees, and wept. 

Steadily, the clamor rose, and Glorfindel forced himself to his feet. The Hall was full of the recently deceased, fallen beside him, and dehydrated and weary as he was, Glorfindel could not stop himself from sobbing as his kinsmen flooded into _Námo’s_ domain, broken and bloody with terror in their eyes.

He’d sworn to protect these people, and he’d failed them.

For two days he limped from group to group, greeting those he’d known with heavy hearts and apologies on his tongue. He bowed before his elders, kissed the hands of their wives, held their children in embraces of repentance and asked, begged, from each to be forgiven. 

He searched, too, desperately, for the face of that whom he loved most, his precious Erestor, his bonded mate, and loathed the moment he might find him, hoping the best but fearing the worst. His passage to the Halls of Mandos was even less clear in his mind than his actual fall. He knew not how he had reached the Halls from the Abyss, and he knew not how long the journey had taken him. Thus he knew not how long he had to search until he could be sure that his love was safe, that he would not find him here, and it was many days that he spent searching listlessly, aching joints crumbling beneath the abuse and mind growing foggy with post-mortem fatigue. 

Only when his body failed him and he fell to his knees, unable to go on any longer, did Glorfindel finally rest, and after two days of fitful slumber, was roused by a hand on his shoulder and the face of a friend.

“Ecthelion.” 

“My dear Glorfindel,” Ecthelion murmured, and his grey eyes were sad, sadder than Glorfindel had ever seen them before. For a long time they held each other, weeping for their lost city, their people, and then Ecthelion pulled away, hands firm on Glorfindel’s shoulders and eyes searching his own.

“Are they here? I have not found them.”

_Oh._

All over again, Glorfindel felt his heart tremble and he shook his head, eyes closing against the torrent of tears that rose at the thought. He knew he should have felt relief that they had not found either Erestor nor Egalmoth, secure in the belief that their loves had likely survived and were well and safe in Endórë.

Yet he could not help the anguish in his chest, the phantom pain of their _feä_ splitting that haunted his every breath.

He rejoiced that Erestor was alive, but ached to be parted from that whom he loved most. 

Ecthelion seemed to feel the same, eyes sliding shut in relief, yet brows furrowed in dizzying loss. At once he pulled Glorfindel back into his embrace, firm and warm, and Glorfindel was consoled to know that he was not alone. 

When all their tears had been shed and neither could cry any longer, Glorfindel pulled back from Ecthelion’s arms and knelt before his feet, head bowed in shame.

“Glorfindel-” Ecthelion breathed in shock, but Glorfindel only dipped his head lower.

“Please, Ecthelion, my friend. Forgive me.” 

“Glorfindel, you have nothing to apologize for, please-” Ecthelion reached for him but Glorfindel ducked lower until his forehead pressed to the cold stone floor.

“I have failed you,” he breathed. “You granted me Erestor’s hand, and I failed to protect him, and for that I must apologize,” Glorfindel croaked. “Please. Forgive me.” 

Ecthelion was quiet for a long moment. In the silence of _Námo’s_ Halls, time seemed to stretch on forever and ever, and then Ecthelion knelt before Glorfindel and lifted his chin. Glorfindel felt himself tremble as he met his friend’s gaze, but was surprised by the firmness in Ecthelion’s expression. There were tears in his eyes and the shadow of grief in his pallor, but his brows were furrowed, jaw clenched, and his voice was low and firm when he spoke. 

“Laurefindil. Do you think I granted you permission to court Erestor because I thought you would protect him?” 

_Yes,_ Glorfindel thought, but spoke not. He had the sudden feeling that it was the wrong answer. 

Ecthelion huffed a soft laugh, fondness shining through the grief painting his face. “That is not why I gave you his hand.” 

Glorfindel swallowed hard and suddenly felt childish. He bowed his head once more, hands folded in his lap. “Forgive me, my Lord,” he rasped, eyes squeezed shut. “But then, why did you? Why me? When so many others you turned away,” he whispered. Suddenly, he feared that there would be no reason at all, and wondered why the thought made him sick. 

What did it matter anyways? Erestor was alive, and he was dead. What would a silly reason give him? Solace? Peace of mind? 

Glorfindel felt the empty space in his chest, the space from which he once could feel his lover’s _feä_ , throb painfully and thought, _Not likely._

“Laurefindil,” Ecthelion sighed then, breaking him from his thoughts. “I granted you permission to pursue him because I believed you would cherish him the way he deserved. Erestor is strong, you know this. He needs no protector. What he needed was a lover that could see him for who was, and love him wholly and truly. I granted you his hand because I believed him deserving of the best, and that was you.” 

_Oh._

At that, Glorfindel knew not what to say. 

There was a sudden lump in his throat, and an ache in his chest, and a throbbing that started in his temple, behind his eyes, and stretched to his jaw and teeth. He kept his head bowed for fear that he would start to cry. 

Had he done that?

Had he given Erestor everything he deserved?

Had he cherished Erestor for everything that he was?

Suddenly, Glorfindel could not be sure that he had. 

Time stretched on once again. Ecthelion’s hand was warm on his shoulder, and Glorfindel’s mind swirled. 

It was not until his friend sighed and moved closer that Glorfindel realized he was crying, shoulders shaking with quelled sobs and cries that threatened to rip him apart. 

“Oh my dear friend,” Ecthelion sighed softly, and there were tears in his voice as well. “Do not let your grief turn your heart against you. I know you doubt yourself, as you always have, but you must know that your Erestor loved you with all of his heart. I cannot speak for his mind, but he was happy with you, Glorfindel. He glowed by your side, as you did by his,” Ecthelion promised, and Glorfindel ached in his heart to believe him, but the grief in his throat was too thick, too suffocating, and Glorfindel could not breathe. 

When Ecthelion’s arms encircled him once again, Glorfindel let go of the tears and allowed himself to cry, safe in the arms of his dearest friend. And Ecthelion cried as well, for the loss of his kin, of his friends, of his dear Egalmoth and his dear Erestor, and they held one another for a long while, until they could cry no more.

“One day,” Ecthelion spoke then, voice hoarse with grief but soft with hope. “When you are reunited in Aman, _feä_ rejoined, Glorfindel, you will both glow once more.” 

* * *

Time in the Halls of Mandos was an odd thing. 

Years of the same routine, the same quiet, the same loneliness became a maddening swirl of space, and many times Glorfindel feared he was imagining it all, that perhaps it was all a long, bad dream, one that ended not with the return to his love on Eastern shores, but with the call of the void, an empty nothingness where he would cease to exist. The Halls were dark and cold, and after many years of the same darkness and the same coldness, the details began to fade, and the days began to blur together until many years became single moments, single moments stretched on for many years, and Glorfindel could not tell which way was up, and which way was down. Only watching Erestor through _Nieninquëa_ kept him cognizant of the passage of time, but even that did not feel like enough when he felt no sun upon his skin nor sea breeze upon his cheeks. 

At night, he rarely slept, for fear of what he might see in his slumber. Pleasant dreams were not a luxury afforded to those trapped in the Halls of Waiting, and on the nights that he succumbed to exhaustion he slept fitfully, mind ricocheting between echoes of his lover’s voice, anguished, and images of his own death. 

Slowly, through dreams, Glorfindel began to piece together the forgotten fragments of his fall, and as each new piece slid into place, he found himself wishing desperately for the healing gardens of _Lórien_ and _Estë’s_ merciful touch. 

* * *

He had not died when he hit the ground. 

Often, he wished he had. In that moment, certainly, he’d wished he had, wished that the impact had killed him swiftly and mercifully, wished that he had fallen, hit the ground, and simply ceased to exist. 

But he hadn’t. 

At the bottom of the Abyss, amidst burning rock and the acrid smell of death, Glorfindel had lain, body broken and gasping for breath, and tried desperately to feel something, anything, but the emptiness that now laid in his chest.

Where warmth had once been, lively and bright, there was now nothing, and never in his life could he have imagined that emptiness could hurt so badly.

It did not make sense.

How could something that was not there bring him such pain?

Yet hurt it did, and he was powerless to stop it.

The Balrog had grabbed him by the hair, and then by the ankle, but it was not there that Glorfindel had felt its foul hand. It had been within his chest, claws tearing through flesh and bone that Glorfindel had felt it, reaching for the very thing Glorfindel’s ribs had been in place to protect. His lungs and heart were of little concern, and it was not his own _feä_ that the sickly fingers of death had sought.

It was his lover’s _feä_ , Erestor’s beautiful, sparkling soul, that the Balrog had stolen, and Glorfindel knew then that he would never be the same. 

* * *

“Glorfindel?” Erestor’s voice was hesitant, and so very soft, and if not for the way Glorfindel’s very being was attuned to every sound that fell from those perfect, sweet lips, he may have missed it entirely. He looked up from the map he had been studying, and found Erestor’s gaze from across the room, dark eyes glowing in the light of the fire. 

“Yes, my love?” 

Erestor’s gaze broke away from his, eyes darting to the floor and then back in a rare display of nerves. His hair fell in a curtain over his face, pale skin glowing in the moonlight that filtered through the window. He looked like a spirit, like one of the very Valar themselves. 

Glorfindel would know, he’d seen such beauties, and none of them compared to his Erestor.

Erestor opened his mouth, paused, closed it again, and then turned to face Glorfindel. “Is it…” He seemed to search for his words for a moment, hands clasped tightly in his lap. When he spoke, it was quiet and terribly hoarse, and Glorfindel’s heart stuttered in his chest. “Is it… odd? That I’m afraid?” 

Glorfindel held out his hand, trembling suddenly, and beckoned his lover close. He tried not to imagine what Erestor might be afraid of, for surely assuming would do neither of them any good, but it was difficult to not let his mind wander. 

There were many things to be afraid of in their time, and would be for many years. The possibilities were endless. And while Glorfindel knew wishing that he could protect Erestor from every one of those possibilities was futile, he could hardly help it if, in the darkest of nights in the Halls of Mandos, alone and yearning, he had dreamt of a world where his lover needed neither worry nor fear anything at all. 

The quiet rustling of cloth broke Glorfindel from his thoughts as Erestor made his way over and settled down by his side. Legs crossed, he folded his hands in his lap, and up close Glorfindel could see his apprehension even more clearly, shoulders tense and mouth drawn tight. Glorfindel swallowed hard and tried not to make silly assumptions. 

“Afraid of what, _melidonya?_ ” He murmured, and tried to keep his voice as gentle as he could. He watched Erestor’s throat bob, and then Erestor pressed one hand against his chest, over the spot where his _feä_ lay, as if soothing an old wound.

Guilt flooded Glorfindel’s chest. He knew what wound Erestor was soothing, and he knew the pain of it well. 

“Please, do not mistake me,” Erestor began, eyes trained carefully on the floor and that, too, pained Glorfindel so. There had once been a time that they could gaze into one another’s eyes and speak freely, unburdened by fear, but he supposed that circumstances uncontrollable had done away with much of that freedom. Glorfindel did his best to remember that Erestor had been through much, and that there had been many hurts that had little to do with Glorfindel himself, and so even if his lover avoided his gaze now out of fear, he should not take it personally and listen with an open mind instead. “I want to renew our vows. I wish, more than anything to be rejoined with you, to feel your _feä_ beside mine-” Cloth rustled again as Erestor pressed hard against his sternum, hard enough that the fabric dimpled, and Glorfindel suddenly realized what this was about. 

Only this morning Erestor had stated his intentions of renewing their vows, and already, he was having doubts.

Glorfindel could not blame him, of course, and never would he want to rush Erestor into something he was not ready for. Marriage was a serious matter, and bonding even more so, for elves were not like men and did not play frivolously with love. Though Glorfindel was sure that there would never be another being for whom his heart beat for, to rush into a bonding when he had only just returned would be foolish. They had been parted for so long, and had become different elves. Erestor deserved to know if this was what he truly wanted.

Still, Glorfindel could not help that his heart ached at the thought. Quickly he reached out and brushed the back of Erestor’s hand, urging him to soften his touch. 

Erestor startled slightly, as if lost in his thoughts. He flushed, and then did as Glorfindel asked, cradling one hand with the other protectively. “I want to be with you, in every way I can,” he said then, and his voice was hushed, pained, and then he looked up at Glorfindel, finally, but Glorfindel almost wished he hadn’t, for the anguish and terror in those dark eyes hurt far more than anything else. “But-” He choked on his next words and his fingers pressed hard back into his sternum, even despite Glorfindel’s touch. Only then did Glorfindel truly realize what it was that scared Erestor so, and it was not the fear of commitment. “But that feeling… of our _feä_ , separating-” 

“You are afraid of feeling it again,” Glorfindel finished for him, for he could not bear to hear the pain in Erestor’s voice any longer. Erestor nodded, and his shoulders fell, saddened, or perhaps relieved, by the admittance. 

Glorfindel’s _feä_ , beside his heart, began to hurt. 

They had not spoken of their splitting, not out loud. It had hovered in the air like a dark cloud ever since their reunion, but Erestor had seemed unwilling to speak of it, and Glorfindel was in no hurry to either. It was the one hurt, he suspected, that even time in all its infinity could not heal, and even rejoining their _feä_ was a balm that was uncertain to mend the broken hollowness in their chests. 

Glorfindel understood.

For so many years he’d watched from the Halls of Mandos as his lover grieved, as he cried himself to sleep, one hand over his chest as if to soothe the phantom ache of their split _feä_ that Glorfindel knew he was feeling, for he felt it too. All of the knowledge in the world could not have been enough to prepare them for how it felt to lose their connection. There were no stories, no metaphors, no words capable of describing that kind of pain, and even having felt it, Glorfindel sometimes struggled to comprehend the magnitude of its devastation. Yet, while the splitting had been horrific for him, his pain had been swiftly lessened with the healing of the Valar and the knowledge that he would be returned to Erestor’s side in due time. 

Erestor had been afforded no such luxury, and Glorfindel could not begin to fathom the doubts he himself would have, had he been forced to live in such uncertainty for 2,000 years. 

“Forgive me,” Erestor whispered, a dark kind of self-loathing in his eyes, and Glorfindel felt suffocating terror grapple at his heart. “I-” 

“Erestor-” Glorfindel stopped him before he could go any further, reaching out to cup his cheek. He would not have Erestor blame himself for this, too. “There is nothing to forgive. I understand.” Erestor’s expression wavered, pained, but he leaned into Glorfindel’s touch regardless, and as Glorfindel stroked gently across his cheekbone, he watched the tension in Erestor’s shoulders melt away and felt his own body sigh in relief. 

“I don’t want you to believe that I don’t-” Erestor tore his gaze away again, face flush with distress. “I-I don’t want you to believe that I don’t want to be with you, or that I didn’t think it through before asking you to-” 

“Erestor,” Glorfindel repeated, and gently drew him closer by his jaw so that he could give Erestor a reassuring kiss on his brow. He felt the shuddering breath Erestor released at the feeling, and drew back to look into his eyes. “I love you,” he whispered, heart thundering in his chest.

He couldn’t mess this up.

He had to make sure his Erestor _knew,_ knew that he had nothing to fear, that he was all Glorfindel had ever wanted, that Glorfindel could _never_ resent him-

Glorfindel cupped Erestor’s other cheek in hand and did his best to smile. “I will not lie and say that I do not wish to feel your _feä_ once again,” he murmured, and his heart ached at the way Erestor’s expression crumbled. “But,” he said quickly. “What I desire most, _melidonya,_ is your happiness. I know there is little I can do to take away the hurts that have been caused by my death, and I wish, more than anything-,” Glorfindel closed his eyes and swallowed past the thrilling, nauseating feeling of being so painfully honest about something that weighed so heavy on his heart. “-That I could go back and take your pain away, that I could have somehow saved us, or perhaps saved you the agony of walking this world alone for so long.” When he opened his eyes once again, Erestor’s brow had furrowed further, and Glorfindel knew it was because he loathed to hear Glorfindel blame himself for what had transpired, and always did his best to refute all of Glorfindel’s fervent apologies, but Glorfindel would not let him draw the attention away, not now. “But I cannot erase what has been done. I can only promise you that there is nothing I want more than to see you content, and if that means being married in name only, or not marrying at all, I understand.” Erestor opened his mouth as if to argue, but Glorfindel was not finished. “I only ask that you be honest with me, and with yourself, and that you do what you must to be okay.” 

Deep in his chest, Glorfindel felt a dull sort ache expanding, pulsing and growing bigger with each word. He was not lying, but though his words were true, it still hurt to think he might not have Erestor the way he wished. The way he once had.

Even so, it was what he had to do. The thought of not being rejoined with Erestor hurt, but the thought of Erestor engaging in their bonding unwillingly was even worse. 

Erestor seemed to wish to respond but could not muster the words. Instead he blinked and nodded, looking absolutely miserable, and then, to Glorfindel’s relief, shifted closer.

“Will you hold me?” He whispered, as if scared that Glorfindel would say no, so Glorfindel opened his arms swiftly and allowed him to curl up against his chest, and think. The fire roaring in the hearth was warm and the sound soothing, and Glorfindel ran his fingers gently through Erestor’s hair and hummed a soft tune, a lullaby from Gondolin, from when they were elflings. 

For many hours they sat there.

_However long it takes._

“Erestor,” he murmured, once the night had grown old and the candles had burned away their wicks. “My love, we should retire.” Erestor sighed softly and hummed in agreement, but did not move. Glorfindel smiled, fondness burning in his chest, and pressed a kiss to the crown of Erestor’s head. “Come now.”

“You are warm, and soft. Just a moment longer, please?”

Glorfindel could not help but laugh. “Soft? Should I schedule more time at the training fields?” 

Erestor laughed softly at that, and Glorfindel’s heart fluttered. “No, you are perfect,” he murmured and Glorfindel felt embarrassingly giddy. He watched with bated breath as Erestor shifted in his arms, turning to look at him, and then, to Glorfindel’s utter delight, leaned in and kissed him sweetly, 2, 3, 4 times. Glorfindel sunk into the kisses blissfully. Erestor tasted of wine from their evening meal and sweets from dessert and something so decadently Erestor that Glorfindel’s taste buds tingled and he forgot completely of bedtime. 

“I just want to be with you,” Erestor whispered against his lips, and though melancholy tainted his voice, warmth bloomed bright in Glorfindel’s chest at the words. “How I wish that we could be the same elves we once were.”

“Ahh, but we are not, my dear,” Glorfindel hummed, and smiled, tucking a strand of soft hair behind Erestor’s ear. “And I love you all the more for it.”

At that, some of the lines of Erestor’s frown started to soften, and Glorfindel felt the last remnants of his own despair melt from his bones. He pressed one last kiss to Erestor’s forehead, and then took his hand.

“However long you need, please, take your time. If I must wait forever, I would do so happily,” Glorfindel murmured, and was nearly surprised to find that the word flowed entirely truthful from his lips. As much as he wished for their _feä_ to be bonded once again, he also knew that if he could have only this, he would be content. Erestor sighed then, but smiled. Though his face was weary and his eyes tired, his smile was genuine, and Glorfindel knew they would be okay.

The last candle went out, and slowly Glorfindel stood, pulling Erestor up along with him. Only the flames crackling in the fireplace lit the room now, and they too were reaching the end of their time, so quickly Erestor and Glorfindel hurried to bed, curling up beneath the covers as close as they could. Glorfindel laid his head on Erestor’s chest and listened to the quiet thump of his heartbeat. Part of him wondered if perhaps he laid quiet and still enough, he might be able to sense Erestor’s _feä_ , or feel the warmth that Glorfindel had spent the last 1,677 years longing for.

But that was wishful thinking, really. 

Just as Erestor’s breathing began to even out, and Glorfindel believed his love may have finally been resting, the soft call of his name echoed in the darkness, and Erestor’s chest rumbled beneath Glorfindel’s cheek.

“Fin?”

“Yes, _melidonya?”_ Gentle fingers pulled through his hair and scratched lightly at his scalp, and Glorfindel let his eyes flutter shut at the pleasant feeling. 

“Would you really wait forever?”

Glorfindel smiled. He slid one hand up Erestor’s chest, thumb stroking over his collarbone through his thin sleeping tunic. “Without a doubt.” 

There was a quiet laugh then, barely more than a huff, but it was tainted with clear relief. 

“You’ve never been patient.”

Glorfindel pressed one last kiss to Erestor’s abdomen, and then pulled him closer, arms secure and warm around one another.

“For you, my love, I could be anything.” 

* * *

Six and a half moon cycles after his fall, Glorfindel doubted, for the first and only time in his life, the mercy of the Valar. 

Six and half moon cycles after his fall, Glorfindel cradled _Nieninquëa_ in his hands and watched, a suffocating horror in his belly, as the love of his life took a knife to his own skin.

_Nieninquëa_ had been a gift. It had been a show of gratitude and mercy, a sign of his sacrifice, and of the Valar’s love.

That day, forced to watch, _powerless_ , as his dear Erestor ripped at his own chest with bloody hands and a grief-stricken cry, it felt more like a curse.

_Powerless_ **_,_ **as Erestor sobbed until he could not breathe.

_Powerless,_ as the love of his life tore himself apart.

**_Powerless,_ **as Erestor, desperate to reach the emptiness in his chest, grabbed for the dagger in his bag, and in one swift motion, tore from his sternum to the base of his ribs. 

**_Powerless._ **

There was so much blood.

**_Powerless._ **

Glorfindel’s scream echoed through empty halls, hollowed and haunting, but he did not hear it.

**_Powerless._ **

Only when hands grabbed at his arms and held him down did Glorfindel realize he had been tearing at his own hair. Only when shouts echoed through the halls, calling for _Námo_ himself, did Glorfindel realize that he had been screaming himself hoarse. Only when _Nieninquëa,_ only when the image of his lover, bloody and motionless on the floor, was torn from his grip did Glorfindel realize that he had very nearly smashed the gift with his bare hands in anguish.

**_Powerless._ **

Three days later, Glorfindel woke in the Halls of Mandos with nothing but the faint memory of _Vairë’s_ quiet sleeping spell, fingertips pressed to his brow just as the world went dark, and the taste of terror on his tongue. He looked down at his hands, trembling, clean, unstained with red, and cursed himself.

He was **_utterly powerless._ **

He knew not how Erestor managed to survive. For many months he wondered, agonizing over the state of his lover, turning over possibility after possibility in his mind. Perhaps the wound had not been severe enough to kill. Perhaps someone had heard Erestor’s cries, or smelled the blood, and had saved him just in time. Perhaps the pain had been enough to snap Erestor from whatever grief-stricken daze had grasped him, and he had been able to get help before it had been too late.

Perhaps, by some miracle of the universe, Glorfindel’s spirit had been enough to reach his lover.

Perhaps, though their _feä_ had been parted, they still had some connection.

_Foolishness,_ he knew.

He was dead, stuck in Mandos, _powerless_.

He had failed, and this was his punishment. 

* * *

“Come now, you can’t be tiring already,” Tulyaro called, sword swung jauntily by his hip. Glorfindel sucked in a harsh breath, pushed himself upright, and glared at his opponent. 

He wasn’t tired. 

He was _exhausted_. 

He was sweating and panting and sore as all hell, but it was a welcome feeling. 

He was alive. His body was real and fatigued and aching, and it was wonderful.

eight months since he had been returned from the Halls of the Dead, and Glorfindel’s stamina was still, quite frankly, terrible. He suspected that it had something to do with the 1,677 years he’d spent in a timeless, routineless vortex of solitude with nought a weapon, sparring partner, nor a shred of motivation to do anything but weep. 

But Tulyaro just liked to say he was getting old. 

The little shit. 

Glorfindel rather liked him. Glorfindel took another deep breath and tightened his grip on his sword, grinning as he stepped forward. “Don’t get cocky, Captain,” he huffed and swung. His grin widened as Tulyaro ducked with a surprised gasp, and the fight resumed. “You have a ways to go before you reach my skill level.” 

“I don’t have to be better than you,” Tulyaro shot back, dodging another broad swipe and dancing away. Glorfindel easily parried one of his jabs, spun and swung, but once again the young captain danced just out of reach, a wide grin on his face. “I just have to outlast you.” 

Glorfindel laughed. He squared his shoulders and took a deep breath, and pushed forward. Outlasting him would not be as easy as Tulyaro believed it to be so. “Did no one teach you to respect your elders?” He teased and huffed in exertion as Tulyaro leapt forward to turn the tide.

_One step back, twist, turn, duck, swipe, another step back, jab, block, two steps forward._

Glorfindel’s body and mind were well trained. He could have done this in his sleep. Tulyaro stumbled back a bit as Glorfindel blocked and parried too quickly for him to keep up and Glorfindel jumped on the opportunity, advancing forward with a new surge of energy. 

“Are you technically my elder?” Tulyaro panted, ever the cheeky optimist. He yelped and hastily blocked another swing, but even that didn’t stop him from replying with a witty quip, as he quickly regained his footing and shot Glorfindel a mischievous smile. “I mean, can you count the years you weren’t here?” 

_Ooh. How bold._

Glorfindel grinned. He stepped forward and swung again, unable to keep the childish pride from his chest as Tulyaro stumbled back once again. It was a low blow, what Tulyaro had said, but Glorfindel didn’t mind, and he knew that was partially responsible for Tulyaro even saying it in the first place. A little trash talk during a spar session was always welcome in Glorfindel’s book, as long as it didn’t leave the ring. 

Glorfindel opened his mouth to respond, an equally bold and biting retort on the tip of his tongue, but then a call sounded from across the field, and only his age-old reflexes kept him from losing his head to Tulyaro’s startled swing.

“Glorfindel!” 

Both pairs of eyes flickered towards the southern entrance. A figure in blue, tall and poised with hair dark as the starless night stood, and Glorfindel’s heart thundered within his chest. Swiftly, he redirected his attention to his distracted opponent, and in one fell swoop had Tulyaro on the ground with a sword pointed at his throat. 

“Ask again when you’ve beaten me.” 

Tulyaro’s face melted from surprised shock to boisterous amusement. “Fair enough,” he laughed, climbing back to his feet once Glorfindel had stepped back and sheathed his sword. 

“You are improving, though. You may have a chance one day,” Glorfindel teased, and then bowed his head in respect as Tulyaro did the same. “But please excuse me, I-” 

“Go ahead,” the captain laughed, nodding his head in Erestor’s direction. “I understand. Same time tomorrow?” 

Glorfindel grinned, nodded quickly, and then turned, jogging in the direction of his lover. It had been nearly seven months since Erestor’s proposal and their decision to wait, and things had been…

Well, wonderful. They had been wonderful. They spoke of marriage no longer, but did everything that a bonded pair did, from sharing quarters and meals, to walking hand in hand, and being one another’s first point of contact. Erestor had changed, it had become increasingly apparent to Glorfindel, but he was still _Erestor,_ and it did not take long for Glorfindel to fall head over heels all over again. 

Erestor still wore the rings around his neck, tucked beneath his tunic, and every morning that he allowed Glorfindel to fasten the clasp was a morning Glorfindel could remind himself that _this_ was enough.

Just having Erestor by his side was more than he could have ever asked for.

At the southern end of the training field, Erestor stood waiting, hands clasped behind his back. He looked the picture of scholarly grace, back straight and chin high, but as Glorfindel neared, he could see the twitching of Erestor’s left elbow, and the way his cheek dimpled as he chewed at the corner of his lips.

Heart dropping, Glorfindel slowed to a stop just before him. Something was wrong.

“Erestor,” Glorfindel called, and cupped Erestor’s cheek, eyes searching his lover’s carefully. He stroked one thumb across a pale cheekbone and asked, “What is wrong?” But Erestor only smiled and drew Glorfindel’s hand from his face, kissing his fingers instead. 

“Nothing is wrong. Forgive me. I simply could not wait,” He said, and his hands were trembling where they grasped Glorfindel’s. Concern struck at Glorfindel’s heart, even despite Erestor’s consoling words.

“Wait for what?” 

Erestor’s smile widened, and he squeezed Glorfindel’s hand. “I am ready. I want to marry you.” 

In that moment, the whole world went quiet. Glorfindel remembered the way he’d felt the very first time Erestor had agreed to marry him, all those summers ago in Gondolin, remembered the relief bursting in his lungs, the rush of joy in his belly, the sudden feeling that he might be sick. Part of him expected to never feel that again. 

_Yet_ -

Before Glorfindel’s mind could catch up he was kissing Erestor, fierce and deep. Erestor gasped against his lips, shocked by Glorfindel’s sudden display of affection - _In the middle of the training fields, no less! -_ but it took barely a moment before he was kissing back, frantic and buzzing with excitement of his own. 

_He wants to marry me._

_He wants to bond-_

Glorfindel’s _feä_ fluttered madly like a trapped butterfly in his chest. He felt ready to burst, joy and relief and anticipation and every emotion known to elf-kind thrumming through his body all at once. 

“Erestor,” Glorfindel pulled away to speak, and then, overcome by his emotions, had to kiss him, _just once more._

Once more turned into three more times, until Erestor was laughing and gently pushing Glorfindel away, face flushing pink under the shower of kisses Glorfindel attempted to bestow upon his cheeks. “Please, Glorfindel, we are still in the fields, and you are very sweaty,” He teased, allowing Glorfindel one last kiss before pushing him away for good. 

“You should have waited to tell me until after I bathed,” Glorfindel teased back, raising Erestor’s hand to his lips to kiss the back. Erestor fixed him with what was likely an attempt at disdain, but Glorfindel could see the fondness and mirth in those dark eyes, and could not keep the grin from his lips. “What changed your mind?” 

“Nothing,” Erestor murmured, and pulled Glorfindel closer despite his earlier protests. He smiled, cheeks pink, and shrugged. “I always wanted to marry you, I was just terrified. And yesterday, I woke, and simply wasn’t afraid anymore.” 

The Valar themselves couldn’t have stopped Glorfindel if they tried. Public be damned, sweat be damned, propriety be damned, Glorfindel slid his arms around Erestor’s waist and scooped him up, kissing him soft and deep and sweet. Erestor’s arms wrapped around his neck in return, lips curling into a smile against Glorfindel’s own.

“Yesterday?” Glorfindel whispered then, noses bumping in a tender nuzzle. 

“Mm,” Erestor murmured and kissed him again, quick and chaste. “I wanted to tell you then, but… I had to be sure. I didn’t want to get your hopes up only to grow afraid again.” 

“And now?” 

“I’m terrified,” He whispered without hesitation, and for a moment Glorfindel’s heart dropped. But then Erestor smiled at him, eyes sparkling with joy, and placed another chaste kiss upon Glorfindel’s lips, and Glorfindel’s heart calmed. “But I realized today, that it did not matter that I was afraid. There will always be things to fear in this world, but none of them matter when I am with you. You’ve got me, Fin. I know that. Just as I’ve got you.” 

“Oh,” Glorfindel sighed, as tears sprung in his eyes and his breath caught in his chest. “Erestor-” He set Erestor down slowly on his feet so that he could cup his cheeks in each hand, thumb stroking over smooth skin. “Oh my dear, sweet Erestor.” He took a deep, rattling breath, and did his best not to cry. “You cannot begin to fathom what that means to me.” 

Erestor smiled and kissed each of his palms, then leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose just once. “I love you, Laurefindil, _melidonya_ . _Melin tye._ Will you do me the honor of being my bonded mate, once again?” 

“ _Yes,”_ Glorfindel gasped, letting his forehead rest against Erestor’s. “Yes, _melidonya.”_

And then, right then and there, in the middle of the southern training fields of Forlond, Glorfindel began to cry. But it did not matter, for Erestor was warm against him, breath sweet on his cheek, and Glorfindel wanted for nothing more than that. 

* * *

When Glorfindel was an elfling, barely 10 winters old, he’d grabbed his father’s robes and promised, with all the determination and vigor his tiny chest could hold, that when he was tall and fierce like his mama, he’d marry an elf just as beautiful, and wise, and strong as his father. 

Glorfindel had broken many promises in his long life, none of which he’d done so willingly, but all of which he mourned with a heavy heart. 

This, at least, was not one of them. 

**He’s everything I said he’d be, Atya,** Glorfindel thinks as he gazes at the man kneeling beside him. There are tiny diamonds in Erestor’s hair, sparkling stars in curtains of midnight black, and as King Turgon speaks, blessing their marriage before the eyes of the Valar, Glorfindel stares at his lover, entranced, and knows he will never see anything more beautiful in his immortal life. 

* * *

Tradition states that the betrothed must wait one year after the match is made before becoming wed, no more, no less. 

Erestor and Glorfindel waited no more than a month.

To be fair, this was not their first betrothal nor their first wedding, and the circumstances of Glorfindel’s rebirth hardly called for tradition. Glorfindel had waited 1,677 years to be reunited with his love, and there existed no reason in any realm that would sway him to wait any longer. 

There was no feast as tradition dictated either, in part because there had been no time to prepare one, and in part because neither Erestor nor Glorfindel had any remaining blood relatives in Ennor to lead the festivities. Erestor had only Elrond and Gil-Galad, and Glorfindel had only Erestor, and as sad as that may have been, it was alright.

They had one another, and that was what mattered. 

Instead of a feast and grand spectacle, they had a short ceremony, at dusk, on the ceremonial pavilion. Only Elrond, Gil-Galad, and two other counselors attended as witnesses while the rest of the city slept. It was a quiet affair, private, and Glorfindel would not have had it any other way. 

Truth to be told, while Glorfindel neither resented nor blamed anyone for the lack of privacy his accomplishments had brought, he was grateful for privacy when it was granted to him. If circumstances had allowed him to change what he had done, he would do no such thing. But if he could have just this for himself, Glorfindel would be content.

The ceremonial pavilion in Florlond was beautiful, if not simpler than Glorfindel was accustomed to. He supposed that the biggest ceremonies, the most important, were reserved for Mithlond, and that Forlond’s pavilion was designed with that in mind. It was built for purpose, not extravagance. 

Still, it was beautiful.

Large and circular, it was made of skillfully carved stone and surrounded by pillars of the whitest marble. In the ground swirled elegant script in gold and silver, words laced with enchantments of protection, blessing, and home. Erestor and Glorfindel knelt in the center, side by side, surrounded by winding vines and blooming moon flowers, and tipped their faces up to the night sky to feel _Varda’s_ warm gaze raining down upon them. 

Before them stood Ereinion Gil-Galad, who was to stand in for both Erestor’s father and Glorfindel’s mother. Elrond stood just behind him and in his hands laid two small porcelain bowls, each of which held one golden ring, only to be touched by the hands of the creator and betrothed. They were the very same ones Erestor and Glorfindel had slid onto one another’s fingers so many years ago, and the very same ones Erestor had carried with him all this time, and the thought of returning them to their rightful place made Glorfindel’s heart thunder with joyful anticipation. 

As the last rays of sunlight filtered out of reach below the horizon, Glorfindel turned to gaze upon his lover, his fiancé, his once-and-soon-to-be-again husband and mate, and felt a warm, calming feeling of peace flush his body head to toe. 

_Valar_ , Erestor looked absolutely radiant.

As Erestor’s gaze flickered towards his and pretty, pink cheeks flushed with joy, Glorfindel could not help but pick out the differences between the memories he had coveted so preciously for so long in his mind, and the scene before him now. Erestor was older, weathered by time and tragedy. He was dressed less extravagantly than their first wedding, and had no diamonds in his hair. Worry lines crossed his face, shoulders tight with tension from old wounds and older burdens, and there was and forever would be the faintest of shadows in his eyes, born of the many horrors witnessed in his long life.

This was not the young, bright, untouched elf Glorfindel had married so many years ago. 

Yet, though Glorfindel’s gaze could not help but pick these differences out, his heart discarded them without a second thought. This was still his lover, his soulmate, his Erestor. It was still the same midnight hair, the same cunning smile, the same dark eyes that held the power to both cut bone with cold fury and soften hearts with aching tenderness. It was still the same kind heart, the same brilliant mind, the same generous, creative, passionate _feä._ It was still the elf he’d fallen for, and it was still the elf he’d continue to fall for, over and over and over again for as long as he was granted life. 

Time had taken its toll on his lover, that much was true, yet Glorfindel could not help but think that even now, with no diamonds nor crown, in makeshift weddings robes and shivering slight in the cold of the moonlight, there existed not a sight in the entire world more beautiful than his Erestor.

Gil-Galad stepped forward then, arms outstretched, and Glorfindel was snapped from his reverence. “May _Eru Ilúvatar,_ Creator of Life and Father of All, hear the call and look upon us now, to witness the union of two of his children, Erestor of the House of the Fountains, and Glorfindel of the House of the Golden Flower.” 

Glorfindel held his breath. There was a fluttering in his chest that could not be quelled, and he knew he should have been listening to Gil-Galad’s words, but he’d heard them all before. Tried as he may have, he could focus on nothing but the utter joy dancing circles on his tongue.

He wanted to shout.

He wanted to laugh.

He wanted to cry-

For so long he’d been parted from his Erestor, and now he was here, in the city of his descendents, with the very elf he’d longed for by his side. 

So very few were given such a second chance, and part of Glorfindel still could not believe how lucky he had been. 

A gentle touch to the back of his hand brought him from his thoughts, and suddenly Glorfindel noticed there was a wetness to his eyes that had not been there before. Calloused fingertips brushed over the back of his knuckles, questioning, worrying, but when he brought his gaze up to meet Erestor’s eyes, he could not help but smile and laugh wetly into the silence. It would be considered unorthodox, of course, to touch so freely prior to the exchanging of the rings, but Glorfindel cared not and Erestor seemed not to either, smiling and curling his hand around Glorfindel’s, fingers tangled tightly against his knee. 

Something warm buzzed in Glorfindel’s chest.

This was where he was meant to be.

Elrond stepped forward then. They had no silver rings to exchange, as those had been lost in the sacking of Gondolin, but Glorfindel found that, to his own surprise, that, too, mattered little when he had Erestor beside him, alive and glowing and to be _his_ once again. 

Only when Gil-Galad took the bowls from Elrond did Erestor and Glorfindel release one another’s hands, bowing their heads and raising their cupped palms. “May _Manwë_ be watching, and bless this union,” Gil-Galad spoke, and then tipped one bowl over Glorfindel’s hands, ring tumbling into his cupped palms. Glorfindel kept his head bowed and breathed slowly through his nose, attempting to calm his suddenly racing heart. The ring was cold in his palm, a heavy weight that sent tingling shivers of excitement through his body. Gil-Galad then turned to Erestor and tipped the second ring into his hold. “May _Varda_ be watching, and bless this union.”

Footsteps rang soft against stone as both Elrond and Gil-Galad stepped back, and Glorfindel swallowed hard.

“You may now commence the exchanging of rings.” 

Slowly, they turned towards one another, knees brushing. Erestor felt warm, even through the thick fabric of his robes, and when their gazes met Glorfindel felt a rush of heat run through him like the waters of Sirion, strong and heavy. He flushed and held out his hand for Erestor’s. Erestor’s hand trembled when he grasped it, breath held between his ribs, and slid the golden band onto his index finger. 

A perfect fit it was, not that there had been any doubt it would be so. Still, the sight of the ring in its rightful place on his lover’s finger was enough to have Glorfindel’s breath rush from him in a shuddering exhale, eyes wet once again. His own hands began to tremble, and as he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Erestor’s sweet forehead, Glorfindel felt a single, shivering tear slip down his cheek.

He let it fall. Some day, many millennia ago, he may have been embarrassed to show such emotion in front of strangers, wary of the witnessing counselors standing a scant five meters away. 

Now, he cared not. 

_Let them see,_ He thought. _Let them see how much he means to me._

And when Erestor did the same to him, gentle fingers sliding the ring onto his and cold lips pressing to his own brow, Glorfindel felt something settle in him, a rightness, and let two more tears fall. Erestor’s thumb brushed them away before they could reach his chin, as he knew it would, and Glorfindel let himself sink into the attention for just a moment before they parted, stood, and turned their attention back to Gil-Galad. 

_“Tenn’ oio,''_ The king began, arms raised. There was the hint of a smile on his lips, and in the moonlight his eyes twinkled, and for just a moment Glorfindel saw the image of Turgon before him before it faded away. Elrond was beaming just behind him, eyes fixed on Erestor and shining with familial fondness, and suddenly Glorfindel felt an overwhelming surge of gratitude to these two, for keeping his Erestor safe, for looking after him, and for loving him when Glorfindel could not. _“Kai elen siluva lenna.”_ Gil-Galad smiled and bowed his head, and then it was over.

They were wed.

Glorfindel could not have stopped himself if he had tried. With a bursting joy in his blood he scooped up his lover, arms tight around his waist, and kissed him. He felt a puff of breath, a laugh against his lips, and could taste the happiness in Erestor’s mouth, tangible and sweet and everything he dreamed of.

The Halls of Mandos had been so quiet and so cold, but now Erestor was as warm as ever in his arms, and like snow in the sun, Glorfindel felt the remaining frost melt from his core, never to return. 

He had been reborn. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quenyan:  
> feä - soul  
> Nieninquëa - snowdrop  
> melidonya - my love  
> Melin tye - I love you  
> Atya - father  
> Tenn' oio - For eternity  
> Nai elen siluva lenna - May a star shine upon you
> 
> The moonflowers present at their ceremony represent love blooming even in the darkest of times
> 
> Thank you for reading! Vows of the more physical nature ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) are in the next chapter <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Every feä is unique," The Valar said. Glorfindel had no hard evidence to back that up - he'd only ever felt Erestor's aside from his own - yet there was something about the way Erestor's feä beat, something about the rhythm, the pulse, the cadence of its silent melody that was so undeniably Erestor, that Glorfindel was inclined to believe them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 60% smut, 40% feelings. If smut isn't your thing but you still want to read to the end (thank you!!) feel free to skip to the section beginning with the line, "Do you feel that?"

The door swung shut behind them with a soft click. Glorfindel turned to make sure it was locked, excitement light in his chest, and when he turned back around, his breath was stolen from him. Erestor stood before him, glowing and ethereal in the candlelight, and Glorfindel’s knees felt weak with a lovestruck dizziness. 

“Hi,” He breathed, and watched, heart thumping, as Erestor beamed, eyes bright and happy.

“Hi,” Erestor laughed softly, and it was the most beautiful sound Glorfindel had ever heard. 

They came together slowly, eager, but with the knowledge that they had the whole night ahead of them. Their whole lives, ahead of them. Glorfindel cradled Erestor’s cheek in his palm, as gentle as he could, and slid his other hand to hold the back of Erestor’s head, fingers carding through silken hair. When their lips met it was soft, hesitant. Glorfindel felt joy swirling in his chest, growing and bursting and rising up and up in his throat until it finally burst forth and he breathed it into the next kiss, spilling sweetness and love into Erestor’s mouth. He felt the way Erestor’s fingers curled in the folds of his robe, and knew that Erestor could taste it too. 

“Are you sure?” Glorfindel whispered against his lips, just one last time. Erestor had said he was ready, but Glorfindel would not have him rush. They had gone far enough tonight, and Glorfindel would be content if that was all Erestor wished for.

But Erestor nodded and pressed closer, lips firm and sure against Glorfindel’s. “Yes,” he whispered when they parted, and then leaned in to kiss Glorfindel again, all hesitation banished from his person.

Glorfindel tightened the circle of his arms around Erestor’s torso, drawing his lover closer until they were pressed together from their knees to their lips, bodies warm against one another. He coaxed Erestor’s mouth open gently with his tongue, feeling as his lover opened up slowly, sweetly, beneath his ministrations like a summer bloom, and licked into that honeyed mouth with a languid sort of desire burning beneath his skin. Erestor sighed happily and deepened the kiss, nails scraping gently through the hair at the nape of Glorfindel’s neck.

Glorfindel felt overwhelmed. 

Having Erestor in his arms, knowing that he was his forever and ever, knowing where this night would lead and all that it symbolized - that was all familiar to Erestor. They had done this once before. 

Yet, somehow, this was different. 

Glorfindel slid his hands back around to the front of Erestor’s robes, tongue coaxing another sweet sigh from Erestor’s mouth. “May I?” He whispered, fingers pausing on their fastenings. When Erestor nodded, Glorfindel tipped his head and deepened the kiss as a reward, swallowing one more soft sigh of pleasure as he began to undress his lover.

It was then, as Glorfindel slid Erestor robes from his shoulders, that they finally parted, and Glorfindel felt rising in his gut an overwhelming wave of gratitude towards the creator as midnight robes gave way to smooth, glowing skin. He leaned in and pressed his lips to Erestor’s shoulder, and began to speak.

“May _Eru Ilúvatar_ , Creator of Life and Father of All, look upon us and hear my vows,” he murmured against Erestor’s skin. Deft fingers stripped Erestor of his ceremonial robes, slowly, gently peeling him from the many layers and sweeping tingling fingers across newly-exposed skin. He listened, heart pounding as Erestor gasped and his head tipped back just so, and nosed his way along Erestor’s shoulder to his throat, pressing sweet, open-mouthed kisses as he went. “I vow to love you, Erestor, and only you, for the rest of time.” Slowly he moved his lips along the curve of Erestor’s jaw until he reached his lover’s pretty ear, tongue curling around the pointed tip and eliciting a soft whimper from between Erestor’s lips. It made heat curl in his gut and his fingers trembled where they brushed over Erestor’s spine, but he forged on nonetheless.

“I vow to love you, wholly and unrestrained, in mind and body and in _feä,_ ” He continued, and breathed each word into Erestor’s skin with all the determination and feeling he could muster, in hopes that they would burrow themselves into Erestor’s skin and stitch themselves into his very bones, and never again would he ever doubt Glorfindel’s everlasting love. As he pushed Erestor gently back towards the bed, he nipped at the spot his tongue had just caressed, and felt his heart flutter at the moan Erestor gave him in return.

Just before Erestor’s heels hit the frame, the last of his robes fell away and Glorfindel’s breath caught. He felt a flush work its way up to his chest and ears, heart thundering at the sight before him. 

Erestor’s body was as strong as he remembered, smooth skin stretched over lean muscle and pointed bone, but it had grown soft in places over the years, and was no longer flawless porcelain, now mottled with scars and sun-kissed freckles. 

He was the most beautiful thing Glorfindel had ever seen. 

Yet, it was not _that_ that stopped his heart, but the large white scar, faded and smooth, bisecting Erestor’s chest and following the line of his sternum from just below his collarbone to the top of his belly. 

_Right where his feä lied._

“Fin, I-” 

Glorfindel dropped to his knees. Erestor gasped, stumbling over his words, but Glorfindel did not hear him, letting out his own jagged breath and closing his eyes. Thumbs resting at the points of Erestor’s hips, Glorfindel pressed his nose and lips to the center of the scar as gently as he could, for as old as it was, Glorfindel feared it may still hurt.

“I vow to try every day to soothe the hurts of the 1,677 years we were parted, however long it may take,” He whispered, lips brushing over the too-smooth skin. He heard Erestor’s breath shudder and felt fingers card gently through his hair, but didn’t look up. He was not finished yet. Shifting up, Glorfindel pressed a kiss to the top of the scar and then moved down, pressing kisses to every bit of the healed-over skin until he reached Erestor’s navel. There, finally, met with the sight of the strong V of Erestor’s hips, Glorfinde could not resist looking up at his lover and meeting his gaze. Erestor was watching him with hooded, hazy eyes, lips parted in bliss and chest trembling with every breath. He was hard, too, and as Glorfindel met his gaze, eyes locked and dark with lust, he pressed another open-mouthed kiss to Erestor’s hip, teeth scraping lightly at pointed bone. Erestor’s breath caught and his lashes fluttered so Glorfindel did it again, addicted to the little displays of pleasure that wrecked Erestor’s body. He moved to the other hip and did it once more, and then, with a small burst of smug victory, slid lower and brushed his lips over the flushed head of Erestor’s arousal. 

The effect was immediate. Erestor’s head fell back and his cock twitched, lips parting to let out the most sinful of whimpers. His knees buckled when Glorfindel did it again, firmer this time, so Glorfindel took pity and rose to his feet, wrapping his arms around Erestor’s waist and pressing one last sweet kiss to his lips before gently pushing him to lay on the bed, dark hair spread across silk sheets. 

At the sight Glorfindel’s heart stuttered all over again. He quickly stripped himself of his own robes, skin tingling as it was exposed to the chilled night air breezing in from the open window, and he felt his cheeks flush as Erestor made a soft appreciative sound, propping himself up on his elbows to watch. He let his gaze rove over Glorfindel’s body as Glorfindel did the same and when their eyes met there was a sudden burst of tension in the air. Erestor spread his legs, one bent at the knee, and quickly Glorfindel climbed onto the bed and covered Erestor’s body with his own. Their lips met in another kiss, this time hard and bruising, and now they let their hands wander, fingers digging into skin to pull one another closer, _closer,_ **_closer_ **. He lost himself in the feeling of Erestor’s lips, soft and plush and fit perfectly to his own, and his scent, rich and spiced as the earth and utterly addicting, and only when their hips pressed together and pleasure burst beneath Glorfindel’s skin did he remember himself and his intentions.

They had all night.

This was not to be rushed.

Glorfindel took a deep breath and pulled away. When he opened his eyes Erestor was gazing at him, dark eyes wanting and blissed, and Glorfindel could not help himself.

“ _Melidonya,”_ He breathed, brushing their lips together just once more. “You are _exquisite._ ”

The answering gasp that reached his ears was soft and sweet, surprised almost. Glorfindel wanted to hear it again.

Slowly, he made his way down Erestor’s body, lips brushing down the sweet curve of his jaw, teeth nipping gently at his throat, tongue dipping into the hollow of his collarbones and sweeping across strong shoulders. He kissed along the hard muscles of Erestor’s bicep, sucking at the pulse points on the inside of his elbow and wrist. At Erestor’s hand he kissed the back, then the palm, and then each knuckle, whispering words of reverence and devotion into the spaces between them so that Erestor may hold the words along with Glorfindel’s heart in the palm of his hand. He pressed one long, devoted kiss to Erestor’s index finger where his golden ring now sat, and felt his heart flutter at the material reminder that Erestor was his and he was Erestor’s. 

When he finished with the right hand he moved to the left, lips and tongue following a trail of desire back up to his shoulder and then down into the dips of his chest. Above him Erestor was panting, soft whispers of Glorfindel’s name sliding traitorously past his lips, and when Glorfindel swept his tongue over the peak of Erestor’s nipple, his lover whined and trembling fingers wove their way into Glorfindel’s hair, tugging suddenly. 

Glorfindel shivered. For a moment a wave of desire so strong and overpowering that he could barely breathe swept over him and he had to close his eyes, nose and lips pressed back to the scar from before. His cock throbbed where it rested against Erestor’s thigh, and though he knew Erestor had hardly done it on purpose, he could not help but lean over and bite his other nipple lightly in revenge, laughing softly under his breath when Erestor yelped and then moaned, goosebumps rippling over pretty pale skin.

“Glorfindel, please,” Erestor whispered. His voice broke on the plea and Glorfindel’s cock jumped again. He pressed a little soothing kiss to the side of the nipple he’d just bitten and then pressed a hotter, wetter one to the other, hands sweeping up Erestor’s ribs. 

“Hush, _melidonya,_ I have not finished.”

“Finished what?” Erestor gasped, bewildered. His back arched as Glorfindel continued a pathway down, sucking tingling bruises along the ridges of his ribs, the little swell of his stomach. Fingers moved in the opposite direction, pinching gently at the swollen buds of Erestor’s nipples, and he could not help but chuckle against Erestor’s navel when Erestor yelped again, so in love with the elf beneath him, so in love with his scent and his touch and the little gasps of pleasure that fell from his lips-

“I vow to worship you as you are my light, my world, the very core of my heart and you deserve nothing less than everything I can give you.” 

He felt more than heard Erestor’s breath catch, belly fluttering against his lips, and then Erestor’s whole body sank into the sheets, loose with bliss.

“Ahh, Glorfindel, my love,” he sighed, a smile clear in his voice, and then gasped as Glorfindel licked over his hip bone. “You spoil me so.” 

“I do not spoil you,” Glorfindel could not resist replying. He slid his hands down Erestor’s waist and along the outside of his thighs until they paused at his knees, gaze following the golden glint of his own ring and the way it looked against Erestor’s skin, then looked up at his lover and gently spread his legs, shifting to kneel between them. “I am simply giving you what you deserve.” He pressed a kiss to the inside of Erestor’s knee, and hoped his beloved believed him when he said it. “You deserve to be loved, to be cherished, to be pampered beyond belief,” He continued, trailing kisses down Erestor’s calf to his ankle, the top of his foot, and then back up until he reached the inside of his thigh. “If I spoil you rotten, it is simply because that is what you deserve, and by that logic can hardly be called spoiling, yes?” 

Erestor let out a breathless laugh above him, fingers tugging playfully at his hair. “I suppose I cannot argue with logic- ah! Glorfindel!”

Glorfindel soothed the bite to Erestor’s thigh with his tongue, hands tracing reverent paths along his hips and behind. “Now hush, _melidonya,_ I have not finished my vows.”

“You have not?” Erestor laughed breathlessly again and propped himself up on his elbows to look down at Glorfindel, who pressed one last kiss to Erestor’s knee and then moved back up to meet him. “You will leave me no time to speak my own,” he teased and Glorfindel laughed, kissing Erestor soft and sweet.

“It would take a millenia, my love, to express completely how I feel for you, and I am not convinced that even that would be enough time,” he admitted. Erestor’s hands brushed over his back, pulling him down into another quick kiss. “But do not worry, I have narrowed it down to two more.” Erestor laughed at that, and Glorfindel felt a happy fluttering in his belly. 

“Go on, then.” 

Glorfindel sat up and took a deep breath. “I vow to never again allow myself to be taken from your side,” he said softly, gaze locked with Erestor’s. These had been the easiest vows to decide on, but somehow the most difficult to say. “And should we once again be parted by the seas, I vow to wait for you, however long, in the Halls of Mandos, so that we may pass into Aman together, as bonded mates should.” 

Erestor froze. His lips parted in shock and his breath rattled audibly in his chest. Glorfindel felt an overwhelming sense of relief at finally saying the words out loud, but part of him was terrified of Erestor’s reaction. He swallowed hard as Erestor’s trembling hands grasped at his shoulders and tears of disbelief, of overwhelming emotion, welled in his lover’s eyes. 

“Glorfindel…” He gasped and pulled Glorfindel close. “That’s… Glorfindel, that’s too much.” Glorfindel kissed at the apples of Erestor’s cheeks reassuringly and felt his own heart calm. This was a reaction he could handle.

“It is not too much,” he promised. 

“But-” Erestor cupped Glorfindel’s cheeks, eyes wide and wet. “-Glorfindel, it’s so cold. The Halls… you can’t-” he whispered, eyes searching Glorfindel’s expression for any sign of exaggeration, as if Glorfindel could possibly exaggerate at all how he felt for Erestor. Glorfindel placed his hands over Erestor’s and smiled.

“I can, and I will. It matters not that the air in the Halls of Mandos is cold, for the air in Aman will be just as frigid without you there. I belong by your side, Erestor. Now and forever.” 

Erestor kissed him then, and the kiss was soft and wet with tears and tasted of a desperate need to be close. “Laurefindil,” Erestor whispered against his lips. “My Laurefindil, _melin tye_.” 

When they parted with a soft sound Glorfindel let his forehead rest against his lover’s and squeezed his hand in his. “ _Melin tye,_ ” He returned, and then smiled. “Your turn.” 

Erestor laughed in surprise and wiped at his damp cheeks. “How could I follow that?” He teased, and Glorfindel felt his cheeks flush with pride and could not help but lean in and kiss Erestor again.

“You will find a way, I am certain.” 

Erestor laughed and tugged him in for another kiss, hands exploring one another with gentle, careful touches. Both of their arousals had softened once Glorfindel’s vows had turned more serious, but it worried neither of them. When the time came, they would both be ready. Glorfindel lowered himself until their bodies were pressed together, bare skin hot and flushed, and as Erestor began to speak, lips brushing with every uttered syllable, Glorfindel could not help but feel, for not the first time that night, as though this was where he truly belonged, in Erestor’s arms once again. 

“May _Eru Ilúvatar,_ Creator of Life and Father of All, look upon us and hear my vows. I vow to love you, Glorfindel, and only you, for the rest of time.” Erestor’s voice was soft, hushed, as if his words were for Glorfindel and Glorfindel alone, breathed into the space between their mouths. “I vow to never take another, to hold only your love in the highest regard, to treat it only as the most precious treasure that it is.” Glorfindel sucked in the words greedibly, eyes sliding shut as they followed a path down his throat and into his chest, warmth pooling in previously dark, empty caverns. “I vow to do everything in my power, every day, to make you smile, and to be grateful for every bit of laughter you grace me, and to never take your love for granted, to count myself lucky every morning that I rise to your smile and every evening that I sleep in your arms.” Two hands cupped Glorfindel’s face, thumbs stroking over his cheekbones, and then Erestor kissed him again once, twice, three times, sighing soft reverence into his mouth. “I vow to protect you, my sweet Laurefindil, as you have always protected me. To support you, as you have always supported me. To cherish you and all that you are, as you have always cherished me.” 

When Glorfindel opened his eyes again, Erestor's expression was a little wild, brows furrowed with utter unbridled passion. He could see the desire and devotion swirling in those dark eyes and it nearly overwhelmed him. One of Erestor’s hands slid from his jaw to the center of his chest, calloused fingertips pressing into the divots of Glorfindel’s muscles, and Glorfindel felt his _feä_ vibrating against his sternum, pushing towards the warmth of Erestor’s familiar touch. 

“I vow to do everything within my power to ensure that you want for nothing, that you suffer not, and that should you ever hurt or ache, that I may always be there to soothe your mind and hold your heart through the storm.” 

Glorfindel could not breathe. Erestor had hardly touched him, yet he felt wound up and tight, as if he had already been brought to the edge and then denied release. There was an overwhelming flurry of heat in his chest that had been building for some time, and quite frankly he feared that another word from his lover might cause him to burst. 

He knew very well how powerful his own feelings for Erestor were. He knew how deep his love ran, how strong its current was, and how overpowering it could be, sweeping and tugging at his heartstrings with every rise and fall of the tide.

He knew how deep his love for Erestor ran, and he knew that Erestor returned those feelings in stride. 

But seeing it like this, being reminded of it through sweet words and soft touches and kisses that tasted of pure conviction-

It was simply too much to bear. Glorfindel let out a shaky breath, eyes fluttering shut as Erestor’s thumb brushed over his lower lip and their noses bumped. “ _Melidonya,_ ” Erestor whispered then, and Glorfindel could not stop himself, hip grinding down against his lover’s, desperate to be closer, closer, _closer-_

Erestor gasped, thumb pressing down on Glorfindel’s lip in surprise, but when Glorfindel opened his eyes and expected to see shock, he found only molten desire in the set of Erestor’s jaw, in the curve of his smile and the sparkle of his eyes. When Erestor’s hips bucked up to meet his, a startled moan wrought its way out of Glorfindel’s throat, and the answering smile that Erestor gave him had heat crawling up his cheeks. The hand on his jaw turned his head slightly to the side and then Erestor’s heel pressed to the back of his calf, urging him on. As their hip rocked in tandem, Glorfindel felt a slick tongue curl around the tip of his ear, lightning bolts of pleasure tingling beneath his skin at the hot touch to one of his most sensitive spots, wringing another moan from his lips.

“ _My Laurefindil,”_ Erestor purred against his ear, and Glorfindel could only whimper in blissful resignation. “I vow to love you in all the ways you deserve, to give you only the softest of comforts, only the truest of joys-” He licked the tip of Glorfindel’s ear again and Glorfindel fisted the sheets beside Erestor’s head. “Only the most _decadent_ of pleasures.” 

He could not take it any longer. Wrenching himself from Erestor’s hold with a soft gasp of air, Glorfindel grabbed a vial of oil from the bedside table and uncorked it, spreading some of its contents over his middle and third finger. Faintly Erestor’s soft laughter registered in his ears but Glorfindel ignored it, rubbing his fingers together to warm up the oil. 

When Glorfindel finally met his gaze, Erestor was smiling and his legs were spread in invitation. “I have not finished my vows,” He teased and Glorfindel could not help but huff. 

Certainly, he could have been merciful and allowed Erestor to speak without distraction. They had all night, all the time in the world, and Erestor had been so patient for him, so pliant and sweet and giving.

But Glorfindel had never been patient, and Erestor should have known what to expect when he teased him like that, with sweet words and cloying kisses.

Glorfindel had waited 1,677 years to touch Erestor like this again, and he could not wait a moment more.

Glorfindel met Erestor’s gaze, drinking in hungrily the sight of his lover holding his breath, bottom lip caught between his teeth in anticipation, and then brought his hand down between Erestor’s legs, fingers rubbing gently over his puckered entrance. 

At the first touch Erestor gasped, lashes fluttering over his cheeks, and Glorfindel felt a smile curl over his lips.

“Do you wish me to stop?” He rubbed his thumb over Erestor’s perineum, eliciting another soft gasp, one that broke off into a whine. 

“ _No,”_ Erestor sighed in bliss and his knees fell to the bed, legs parted in eagerness. Glorfindel’s heart stuttered, _feä_ fluttering in his chest at the sight.

Truly, he was the luckiest elf in the world.

Gently, Glorfindel rubbed his fingers over Erestor’s entrance, applying light bits of pressure and listening to the way it made his lover’s breath hitch. He teased for a few moments more, and then lowered himself to kiss at Erestor’s lips. “Go ahead. Finish your vows,” He coaxed, fingers pressing lightly at Erestor’s rim, and as unaffected as he pretended to be, desire had its tendrils wrapped tight around his chest, constricting every breath with seductive thoughts of pleasure and completion.

Erestor huffed out another soft, distracted laugh, and then let his head fall back to the pillow, eyes dark and boring into Glorfindel’s. Glorfindel watched in anticipation as his chest rose with a deep breath and then he spoke, voice soft yet deep and heavy with the weight of his words. “I vow to take all your burdens on as my own, so that never must you carry them alone.” He reached up and swept his fingers across Glorfindel’s cheek, breath fluttering with every gentle brush of Glorfindel’s fingers. “Never again will you face the horrors of this earth alone,” He promised, words flowing from his lips as easy as air, and as Glorfindel’s heart soared and his chest constricted with overwhelming giddiness, he slowly pushed his middle finger past Erestor’s rim, enveloping it in the tight heat of his lover to the first knuckle. Erestor gasped, grip on Glorfindel’s jaw going slack, but Glorfindel rubbed his thumb soothingly against the soft skin of his inner thigh, silently instructing him to go on.

“I vow to give you everything, Glorfindel,” he whispered, voice trembling and eyelashes fluttering at the feeling of Glorfindel’s finger inside him for the first time in 2,000 years. “Anything you desire, my love, I will give, and if it is not in my power to do so, hear me when I say I will find a way,” Erestor breathed, cheeks flushed, and then he rose up to kiss Glorfindel, deep and hard, harder than before, and Glorfindel realized then that he was done, that they had both spoken their hearts, and that all that remained was the joining of their _feä_. 

Excitement burst in his chest. He had to take a deep breath against Erestor’s lips, desire sending his mind in dizzy circles, and then slowly he pushed his finger in further and curled it, beginning to prepare his lover in earnest. Erestor was tight around his finger, soft and hot and perfect, and as Erestor moaned into his mouth, body opening up beautifully beneath Glorfindel’s ministration, Glorfindel briefly found himself wondering if Erestor had ever touched himself in his absence, if he had ever pleasured himself and imagined his hands were Glorfindel’s instead.

“Erestor,” he whispered and nipped at his lover’s bottom lip, heat buzzing through his veins. “Erestor, _melin tye.”_ And when Erestor returned the sentiment in a hoarse, trembling voice, Glorfindel could not stop himself from kissing him once more.

The next curl of Glorfindel’s finger had Erestor crying out, head falling back against the pillow in bliss. Throat thick with arousal, Glorfindel withdrew the finger, added more oil, and then slid in a second finger along with the first and watched with greedy eyes as Erestor’s back arched and he gasped, voice faltering. Swollen lips parted around a trembling moan and Erestor’s hands slid up the bed to grasp at his pillow, body all soft curves and glowing skin in the candlelight.

_Exquisite._

“Mmm, Glorfindel,” he groaned, and the sound was music to Glorfindel’s ears. “How I have missed your touch.” 

Glorfindel pressed his lips to Erestor’s jaw and slid his fingers deeper, gently working his lover open until his fingers were buried to the third knuckle, and Erestor’s breath audibly caught. “And I yours, my love,” Glorfindel hummed into the sensitive skin just below his jaw, and shivered as Erestor let out another dulcet moan. 

Soon enough a third finger joined the first two and Glorfindel watched with trembling breath as Erestor shook beneath his touch, chest flushed and heaving. 

“Enough,” Erestor gasped out, expression glazed. “I am ready, please-”

Something buzzed in Glorfindel’s chest, an eagerness to be joined with his lover. But he also wanted to make sure Erestor was really ready, that this would be nothing but pleasurable for him, that their joining, even after so many years, would make him feel as good as he deserved. Glorfindel curled his fingers, pads rubbing little circles over that spot deep inside Erestor that made him yelp, hips jumping and then moan, long and low and cloying. It was truly the sweetest sound Glorfindel had ever heard and it filled the room, drifting out through the open window and into the quiet night air. Glorfindel could not help but feel a little smug.

There was not a soul in the entire realm that would not know how Erestor was loved and how well Glorfindel could pleasure him, he would make sure of that.

“Laurefindil!” Erestor groaned as he curled his fingers again, lashes fluttering prettily as his eyes rolled at the overwhelming feeling. Glorfindel could tell he was trying desperately to hold on, to not lose himself, but that he was quickly growing close, ears flushing a bright pink and cock leaking steadily onto his stomach.

It made Glorfindel’s mouth water and his own arousal throb, hot and impatient. 

“Are you sure you’re ready?” He croaked, and scissored his fingers a bit, just to be sure, an action that wrought a soft whine from Erestor’s throat and made him nod, one hand reaching down to hold Glorfindel’s wrist.

“Yes, please, please Glorfindel, I am ready,” He promised, tugging lightly at Glorfindel’s free hand. “Come, be one with me-”

Want flared red-hot in Glorfindel’s chest.

Pulling his fingers from Erestor’s body, he swept his hand up Erestor’s side, fingertips sliding over heated skin, and kissed Erestor again. Their lips would be swollen and raw by the end of the night, he knew, but even that was not enough to make him part from Erestor’s sweet mouth. This was where his lips belonged, meant for nothing but giving his love the most devoted of caresses, the sweetest of pleasures, the softest of touches. 

“You are being awfully impatient tonight,” He teased when they’d parted, because he simply could not resist, and at that Erestor laughed, bright amusement twinkling through the hazy desire in his eyes, like stars in the dark night sky.

“I have been patient my entire life,” he hummed, hands trailing slowly over Glorfindel’s body in an absent-minded caress that made Glorfindel’s skin tingle and his heart warm. Glorfindel could not help but smile and lean down to give him another kiss.

“That you have, my love,” He murmured, and pulled Erestor’s hips up to rest over his thighs, legs wrapped around his waist. His hands lay splayed over Erestor’s hips, eyes fixed on the way his wedding band looked pressed to the V of Erestor’s pelvis and restless desire buzzing beneath his skin at the way Erestor’s body pressed to his. Erestor’s breath hitched and he kissed him again, teeth digging tantalizingly into Glorfindel’s bottom lip.

“Then, if I’ve been good, won’t you grant me this one little wish?” he whispered, voice sweet and coy and Glorfindel laughed, fondness bubbling unbearably in his chest. 

“I’ll grant you anything and everything you desire,” he promised, brushing their noses together. He grabbed a spare pillow, sliding it beneath Erestor’s lower back, and then poured more oil onto his hand to slick himself up. The first touch to his own cock had him biting back a hiss, sensitive after waiting for so long. “Do you want to say it or should I?”

Erestor hummed softly in thought and relaxed back against the sheets, gazing up at Glorfindel with an expression so unbearably soft that Glorfindel’s heart seized. He reached up and brushed Glorfindel’s hair from his face, one heel rubbing gently against the small of Glorfindel’s back, absent-minded and fond.

“Say it with me?”

Glorfindel’s heart fluttered. He nodded and then leaned down, unable to keep himself from Erestor long, and against his lover’s sweet mouth, he began to speak.

“May the Valar gaze upon us and hear our vows,” He whispered, and felt the tickle of Erestor’s breath as he, too, said the same. “And know that we, Erestor and Glorfindel, have chosen one another for the rest of time.” 

Heart thundering in his chest, Glorfindel positioned himself at Erestor’s entrance and then slowly pushed in.

The heat was incredible. Glorfindel felt his breath rattle out of his chest and he squeezed his eyes shut, hand fisting in the sheets beside Erestor’s head to keep some semblance of control over himself. He had to go slow, for Erestor. For both of them.

He was about half-way deep when Erestor’s nails dug into his shoulder, suddenly and sharply. He stopped, blinking away the hungry daze clouding his vision to gaze down at his lover. Erestor’s head was thrown back, both eyes and jaw clenched shut. The line of his body was tight, tense, uncomfortable.

“Erestor?” Glorfindel breathed, rubbing one thumb against his hipbone in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. 

“Sorry-” Dark eyes blinked open, wet with unshed tears, and for a moment Glorfindel’s heart stopped, but then Erestor was smiling, cheeks flushed pretty pink. “You’re always bigger than I expect you to be-”

Glorfindel swallowed down the hot spark of pride that ignited in his chest at the words and leaned forward, careful not to jostle them, and kissed Erestor’s forehead. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Erestor whispered. Glorfindel felt him slide his arms around his neck to keep him close, a silent order that Glorfindel happily followed. “Just go slow. And be gentle?”

“Always,” Glorfindel promised without hesitation and then kissed the apple of Erestor’s cheek. “Just tell me when.” 

Slowly, Erestor’s body opened up around him. For a while they lay there, trading sweet little kisses and meaningful smiles, eyes hazy with excitement and tenderness and love overflowing. Glorfindel swept his hands up and down Erestor’s sides, rhythmic circles on his skin to help him relax, and whispered soft praises in his ear. He watched the pretty pink flush of Erestor’s cheeks travel down his neck to his chest and basked in the tingling pleasure of Erestor’s warmth around him.

“Okay, more,” Erestor demanded after a moment, nose pressed to Glorfindel’s cheek. “Give me more.” Hot desire flared through Glorfindel’s loins and he pushed in slowly, ears attuned for any change in Erestor’s breathing.

_There-_

The hitch in Erestor’s breath. Glorfindel stopped again. Almost all the way there, but not quite, and thus the cycle repeated. Glorfindel kissed at Erestor’s mouth, nipped at his lips and whispered little things that made him laugh. He trailed his fingers over the sensitive spots of Erestor’s belly, grinning when the muscles tensed and jumped and relaxed and Erestor squirmed and laughed, eyes bright and mind distracted from the discomfort down below. 

A moment later Erestor’s heel pressed against his back, urging him to go the rest of the way. Glorfindel went happily, pressing forward until their hips met with a soft, slick sound, and Erestor made a sound half-way between a sigh and a moan, body falling limp against the bed. Glorfindel kissed his throat, then his cheek, the bridge of his nose, and finally his lips, and tried not to think about the overwhelming feeling of being inside Erestor again for the first time in so long. 

“Ready?”

“Mm, please.”

Slowly, their hips began to move. Sweet ecstasy rose up through Glorfindel’s body, pulsing through his bones and pooling in the dips and caverns of his gut. His eyelashes fluttered and he released a trembling groan, head spinning from the addicting feeling of the soft warmth of his lover, and the sweet sounds Erestor made only encouraged him, calloused fingers pressing hard into his shoulder blade and spine, urging him on, pulling him close, leaving their mark on sweat-slicked skin.

Neither of them would last long. Glorfindel had spent many years in Gondolin learning all the things his lover liked, perfecting his own technique and stamina until Erestor had gone to sleep every night sated and blissed out of his own mind, but it had been too long since they had done this, and it felt too good to be with one another in this way again.

Glorfindel brought one hand down to palm Erestor’s cock, which had grown soft again but was quickly beginning to plump back up, and drank in the sight and sounds of his lover’s pleasure eagerly, eyes following the line of Erestor’s body as he arched, ears twitching as they took in Erestor’s pleasured moans, dulcet and melodious and dripping with sweetness so potent Glorfindel drooled.

He truly was the most beautiful thing on this earth. Blessed by _Ilúvatar_ himself, Glorfindel mused, and wondered- _The Creator had no favorites,_ it was often said, but Glorfindel found that hard to believe when he had perfect, sweet Erestor splayed out before him like this.

Glorfindel wrapped his fingers around Erestor’s cock and began to stroke slowly in time with his thrusts, an action that made Erestor’s hips jump and then buck, grinding down deeper onto Glorfindel’s length. “Erestor,” He gasped, core bursting with pleasure. “Erestor, _arimelda, melidonya,_ you feel so perfect. Tell me what you need-” Glorfindel could feel himself getting lost in the sensations, losing himself to his desires, but he fought it. Erestor deserved only the best, and Glorfindel could not give that to him if he was worlds away in his own bliss, so he trained blurry eyes on his pretty lover and grounded himself in the feeling of Erestor’s hot, sweat-slicked skin beneath his fingertips. 

“More, Glorfindel, please-” Erestor moaned, head tipping to expose the line of his throat and truly, Glorfindel could deny him nothing.

Faster, harder, deeper, Glorfindel moved his hips and matched his strokes to Erestor’s cock until Erestor was crying out with every thrust, cheeks flushed, nails pressed hard into the skin of Glorfindel’s shoulders, lips parted around the prettiest moans that made Glorfindel’s blood burn. 

It was then, that, slowly, he began to feel it.

Not the heavy, cloying, deep pleasure of a slowly approaching orgasm, though that was on the horizon as well. 

No, this was something lighter, something warmer, something fluttering and sweet and overwhelming in all the ways simple sex simply wasn’t, something pulsing and growing steadily with every breath. 

A sob broke from Erestor’s throat, hands grappling at Glorfindel’s back to pull him close and Glorfindel could see from his eyes, wide and wet once again with tears, that he was feeling it too.

“ _Fin!_ ” He cried and Glorfindel swooped in to kiss him, arms sliding beneath the small of his back to pull their bodies as close together as possible. His thrusts were reduced to slow, deep grinds in his position, but neither of them noticed, bodies burning and sparkling with the feeling of something buzzing and glowing where only cold emptiness had once been. 

_Their feä_.

For the first time in 1,677 years, Glorfindel could feel Erestor’s soul, warm and alive and _real_ beside his own.

Erestor made a soft, broken sound against his lips, hands clutching at Glorfindel’s back in silent desperation and Glorfindel understood how he felt. The rhythm of his hips increased, hard and deep, and Glorfindel’s mind buzzed with senseless euphoria as he kissed at Erestor’s sweet mouth and moaned against his lips. The warmth of Erestor’s _feä_ burned in Glorfindel’s chest, hot flames of pleasure licking at him from the inside out as their bond amplified the sensations tenfold, and Glorfindel could feel his orgasm quickly approaching.

From the dazed look in Erestor’s eyes, he wasn’t far behind. Quickly Glorfindel reached down between their stomachs and stroked him off, blood burning at the way Erestor’s moans pitched up and increased in tempo and volume, breaking the kiss as his back arched in ecstasy. 

As the pleasure grew, Glorfindel’s vision blurred. Everything was hot, everything was bliss, everything was heavy and Glorfindel couldn’t breathe, body taught with coiled pleasure just ready to snap, yet he couldn’t look away from Erestor, from the love of his life, from his _bonded mate,_ sweaty and disheveled and absolutely beautiful in the throes of passion. At a particularly hard thrust Erestor moaned, body bending, and the change in angle must have been perfect because he shuddered at Glorfindel’s next thrust, eyes rolling into the back of his skull and sweet voice breaking on a cry. Glorfindel could feel the way Erestor’s _feä_ shivered beside his own and then rose up again with a sweet, warm buzz of pleasure, rising higher and higher and higher until it crested and Erestor snapped, sobbing as he came and painted Glorfindel’s stomach with his spend.

Glorfindel’s world burst into white hot bliss.

When he came down from the high, it was to the sight of Erestor, his sweet, lovely Erestor, flushed and glowing and beautiful below him, and smiling. There were tear tracks on his cheeks and he looked exhausted, hair tousled and tangled on the pillow, but his eyes were bright and his smile was wide, and Glorfindel’s heart burst with love. 

He leaned down, unable to resist, and pressed his lips to every bit of glowing skin he could reach, scattering kisses across pretty cheekbones and down the long slope of Erestor’s nose until Erestor was laughing, weak and breathless and full of joy. “How are you feeling?” Glorfindel whispered and nuzzled his love’s cheek. His arms shook from post-orgasm exertion but he couldn’t bring himself to move. Erestor brought his arms up to wrap around Glorfindel’s shoulders and then turned his head and brought Glorfindel into a deep, slow kiss.

“Incredible,” he whispered against Glorfindel’s lips, and then kissed him again and again, languid, deep kisses that made Glorfindel’s exhausted body sigh with contentment. When Glorfindel could hold himself up no more, he rolled himself to the side and pulled Erestor along with him, bond singing at their continued closeness. 

_Erestor._

_His love._

_His husband._

_His bonded mate._

The tips of Glorfindel’s fingers tingled where they pressed into Erestor’s waist. They were both sweaty and a little dirty with their spend, but neither he nor Erestor made any inclination to move, hating to part for even a moment now that they had finally been rejoined.

“I missed you,” Erestor whispered then, and they both knew he was not speaking merely of Glorfindel’s touch. 

He slid one hand up Glorfindel’s chest and rested it over his sternum, fingertips warm against his skin. Erestor could not feel their joined _feä_ in Glorfindel’s chest, could not feel the slow and steady pulse of their souls beneath Glorfindel’s skin no matter how firmly he pressed his fingertips to his sternum, but it mattered not, for Erestor could feel that same beating in his own chest, just beneath that smooth scar, and as a sudden wave of emotion washed over Glorfindel at the thought, he squeezed his love closer to him and kissed him again, breathing out 1,677 years of relief into the firm press of their lips.

_Thank you._

Briefly, Glorfindel wondered if the Valar were really listening, if they really watched over every joining of the _feä_. Perhaps they didn’t. They likely had better things to be doing, after all. Still-

_Thank you._

_Thank you for returning me to him._

* * *

  
  


_Do you feel that?_

Glorfindel stirred.

_Do you feel the warmth?_

Eyes fluttering open, Glorfindel squinted, pupils dilating against the harsh sunlight shining through the open window. It had to be no earlier than mid-day, birds twittering in the cool autumn air.

_Do you feel it flowing through your veins?_

It was hot beneath the sheets. Too hot. Glorfindel shifted, body restless and sore, but something kept him pinned, smothered beneath stifling heat.

_Beating in your heart?_

Something warm, and soft, and-

Erestor.

Stretched across his front, Erestor had one arm and one leg slewn over Glorfindel’s torso, keeping him stuck firmly in place. His face was buried in Glorfindel’s neck, nose pressed to his skin, and Glorfindel could feel his breath, warm and light against his shoulder. 

_Singing to your soul?_

Glorfindel raised his free arm and brushed it up Erestor’s back, fingertips sliding against soft, sweat-slicked skin. The dimples of his lower back, the knobs of his spine, the ridges of his shoulder blades-

_Can you hear the harmony?_

Bone. Muscle. Tendon. Flesh.

Alive.

This was not a dream.

_The melody that fits perfectly with yours?_

Fingertips followed a path up further, sliding into long, dark hair. It was tangled and wild with sleep, but still soft and silken between Glorfindel’s fingers. His hand curled and tugged, lightly, so lightly, just enough to feel the pull and remind him-

Erestor.

_That’s me._

Glorfindel closed his eyes and tried to breathe. It was difficult. 

In and out. Ribs, lungs, and diaphragm expanded and then contracted as easily as ever, and Glorfindel felt the rush of oxygen fill his brain with dizzying impact. 

His chest wasn’t tight.

But it was full. 

So, so full.

From the spot deep within his breast, just behind his heart, Erestor’s _feä_ pulsed, slow and steady. 

_I’m here._

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quenyan:  
> feä - soul  
> melidonya - my love  
> melin tye - I love you  
> arimelda - beloved
> 
> If you enjoyed this, please leave a kudos/comment, or come say hi on my [Tumblr](https://aloeholland.tumblr.com)! I will be writing more for this series, so if you want to see it, subscribe as well!  
> As always, thank you for reading, and Happy New Year! <3


End file.
